Giga Pets were a HUGE fad at one point in time.

I remember I had a little purple one; I think it was a dog.  Of course, as often happens, the market was swiftly saturated with knock-offs and this nifty little toy fell into oblivion.  But the concept – keep a make-believe “pet” alive and happy, and you can consider yourself a successful human being – still lives on.  My little sister will testify to the fact that the Webkinz brand has stepped up the game by getting gullible parents to buy dozens of that old favorite, the stuffed animal, almost entirely for the sake of the codes to online games that come on their tags. The Giga Pet’s tiny, black and white, pixelated screen definitely can’t compete with cuddly high-speed internet.

But personally, when it comes to manipulating artificial life forms, I still prefer The Sims.

today is a day in my life that i want to always remember, so despite fatigue taking over me, imma blog!

today i had the last lesson of my poly life. last interesting and not so normal lesson. dining etiquette at spgg with the whole cohort. it was a lot of photo taking,smiling and everything nice.
it’s amazing how 3 years have just flown past. i would say it has been the most wonderful three schooling years of my life.
it was a great deal of work but also a hell lot of fun. the friends, the lecturers, the projects, the sleepovers, the goofing around, everything. it was all great.
the friends were simply great, never want to grow out of being how we are all like now.
the lecturers were simply great, doris, kwa, ms lum, dioni, ms low, trudy, rajan, mr sng, mr loh, ms dawn, everyone of them will be dearly missed. i have learnt a lot from all of them and appreciate every single one of them.

there are lots of feelings and thoughts inside of me that can never be described in words. on graduation day, i think i wont be able to hold back my tears.

So, apparently today, in the land of obese people with zero culture, and anywhere else that the pilgrims set foot on, it’s Thanksgiving!

Gobble gobble.

Despite all my petty complaints and grumbling, tantrums and short fuse, I really do have plenty to be thankful for. This post has no choice but to be a sap-fest, you know it and I know so let’s get on with it.

I’m thankful for a complete family. I always get irritable and snappy with them for the smallest things but that’s because I expect everyone to be on the same level as me for whatever I’m talking about/referring to. Of course, I realise that’s completely irrational and unreasonable. Must. learn. patience.

I’m thankful for my boyfriend. Even though we completely irritate the shit out of each other sometimes, I think he has a crazy amount of patience for dealing with me and my crap. I’m thankful to have you to run to, or sms when you’re neck deep in work, for advice. Annoyingly, I’m more dependant  on you than I realise. Always be my bedfellow, I’ll try not to push you to the edge, and my travel companion. Or well, everyday companion.

I’m thankful for my close, small circle of friends. I don’t think I need to name names, you should know who you are. Even though we might not talk everyday or even meet up regularly but I hope you know that I’m always keen and happy to talk to you and hear what’s new. I’m happy and flattered that you ask me for advice and I hope that what I’ve dished out was helpful, thank you for being my confidantes and advisors too. I hope to remain friends until the day I die, no exaggeration or dramatics here.

I’m thankful to be able to afford small luxuries like Dior eyecream (lifesaver) to bigger frivolities like Paris.

Honestly, I’m just thankful to be alive and just live.

‘Tis the season to be jolly and this season lasts ¼ of the year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza, New Years and Valentines Day. These months are filled with parties and family gatherings that have one thing in common, EXCESS!

Excess food, excess drink, excess stress, excess expectations, a little less of all of these is not such a bad thing. Holidays that are celebrated with less food, drink, stress and lower expectations will be better remembered if the EXCESS is trimmed and new activities are incorporated into your holiday routine.

Group activities will bring the family closer together and can help bring back holiday spirit and holiday cheer.

Reminisce about the “old” days. Kids love hearing about their great, great grandparents or cool stories about their parents or other family members.

Enjoy playing games. Clear the table as quickly as possible and start playing some games, the longer you sit at a table with food, the more you may be tempted to eat or eat without even being aware you are noshing. Games like Charades or Bingo are great for the entire family to play.

Reading about the holiday and having kids act out the story or just discussing it is another activity kids and adults can do together, http://www.nj.com/parenting/sandra_lee/index.ssf/2009/11/reading_holiday_books_can_be_p.html, and it can done without a lot of extra stress. It’s also a great way to steer the conversation towards holiday spirit and away from stressful conversations like the economy or the heathcare debate.

During the holidays there are bound to be situations that occur that are stressful. Stress only brings on more stress. Think of things to do when a stressful event happens to help you re-focus your energy so that it does good.

Positive reinforcement gets you more than complaints, so make sure you use your best manners and tell everyone how much you appreciate every little bit of help you get for setting the table, carrying the groceries, meal preparation and clean up, you’ll be surprised how a little positive reinforcement goes a long way.

It’s all about attitude, keeping a positive attitude can be catchy. No matter what happens be positive and be aware of how it affects everyone around you.

Pre-think holiday meals, do not buy too much extra food. Figure out how many people will attend your meal and what the accurate portion sizes of the food you are serving are. Only buy enough for the meal. There will be less left overs and it will help keep costs within reason.

Spreading holiday cheer and getting into the spirit of the holidays is much more important than stuffing yourself to the point of not being able to get up from the table. Sure every family has family traditions but it is never too late to start new traditions.

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

have you ever wished you could find paper and stickers for a special trip you took – to a city, an area, a state, how about a country?

well wish no more! REMINISCE has just introduced a new line called PASSPORTS. there are 72 – that is SEVENTY TWO different destinations included in this line! each destination has it’s own two-sided paper and matching sticker sheet.

here’s a layout i did using the CHICAGO paper and stickers…

to create the skyline at the bottom of the layout, i used a craft knife to carefully cut out the skyline on the blue side of the double sided CHICAGO paper. then i backed the space with white cardstock.  I mounted the cut out skyline on a piece of white cardstock and cut it out again, then outlined it using a white gel pen. It has been adhered to the layout using 3D Dots. I moved it down and to the right of where it had been on the paper to create a “shadow” effect.

and, if you don’t happen to travel much, don’t worry, you can still think of fun ways to use this line! we love lots of different ethnic foods, so i decided to create an INTERNATIONAL RECIPE BINDER for some of my favorite recipes. i used the CHINA, INDIA, MEXICO, ITALY, FRANCE and SPAIN papers and stickers…

!!!

want more ideas for this line? then head over to the REMINISCE GALLERY and see more projects from the reminisce design team!

want even MORE ideas? then check out the REMINISCE BLOG,  there are some more awesome ideas there too!

There’s just so much I am thankful for this year, and one of them is knowing that come rain or shine, I’ve got many friends who will always be there like they were at my birthday dinner last night.

Turning 21 isn’t exactly a big deal to me, although I know how important it can be for others. I didn’t want anything extravagant, I didn’t want anything superficial and I clearly didn’t want to have to entertain on this night I decided would be the night of celebrating my coming of age. It was a simple, classy night – dinner at my all-time favourite restaurant, Prego’s, before we headed to Tippling Club at Dempsey for drinks. I loved how everyone made an effort to dress up to atas-ify themselves; kudos to the guys who turned up stylishly chic.

And I must say… interesting gifts I’ve got this year

Yummy Italian fare at Prego's

The boys!

Everyone now... at Tippling Club

My favourite photo from the night, thanks to Addison

I haven’t had a Push Pop in a long time.  I don’t think I even ate them much when I was little.  But somehow I know their theme song will be stuck in my head forever!

Sadly, I can’t find the one I’m dreaming of on the web.  In its place, I offer you this slightly disturbing French commercial:

Those candy folks sure knew how to market, too, judging by the fact that this Blow Pops commercial is also firmly etched in my brain.

P. Kelly Smith

Welcome to Freebie Friday! We’re less than a week away from T-Day. I’m really looking forward to going home to Texas and deep-frying our turkey – Southern style! If you’ve never done this/tried this, it’s so-o-o good! There’s a little bit of prep work involved and you must have all the right supplies, but the effort is well worth the end result. If you like tender, juicy meat, this is the way to go! Click on this link if you’re interested in venturing out of your comfort zone and trying something new. (My very undomesticated sister fried her first bird two years ago…if she can do it, you can do it!)

Like the blog title suggests, I look forward to Thanksgiving because it allows me to reflect on all my many blessings. If you’re ever having a bad day, I really encourage you to sit down and make a list of everything you DO have. And try to include all the little things, because it’s the little things that make a rich, full life. I guarantee your glass will start to look half-full again.

Miss Kim Kesti, one of our talented Paper Crafts Go-to Gals, recently hosted a five-part blog series where she encouraged her readers to post five things they’re grateful for. I loved reading all the comments and seeing pictures of the things that fill her with gratitude. I think my favorite was seeing her adorable toddler Eloise playing peek-a-boo. It’s doesn’t get much sweeter than that! Click here to see all her cute posts!

As a mother of eight, family is obviously important to Kim. She made this gorgeous table decoration for our “Get Inspired” column in our November/December issue. If you’re looking for that one piece to set your Thanksgiving table a part, this one does the trick. It would also make a beautiful decor piece for your fireplace mantle or bookshelves, and the best part…you could display it year-round!

Looking for that perfect centerpiece? Why not make Kim Kesti's Family Table Decor?

Since we’re talking gratitude today, I just happen to have two sets of Reminisce’s Autumn Forest collection. This collection screams fall/Thanksgiving/gratitude. Talk about cute turkeys, squirrels, deer and owls! There’s also some nice solid prints, so if you wanted to recreate Kim’s project above, this would be a great collection to use. Wanna try your luck at winning this fabulous prize package? Leave a comment telling me something your thankful for right this very minute. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, Nov. 22.

Two lucky winners will be thankful for this prize package!

“There is always something for which to be thankful.” ~Charles Dickens

I’m thankful for all of you!
Kelly

P.S. Like Cath mentioned yesterday, there’s still time to upload your holiday treat containers to our November Gallery Challenge! Three winners will receive a 1-year subscription to Paper Crafts (or a special issue of their choice) and be featured on this blog on Monday, Dec. 7. You better act fast…this challenge ends at midnight (MDT) on Monday, Nov. 23. Click here for the details!

P.P.S. Here’s another freebie for everyone! This holiday, we invite you to share the inspiration of paper crafting with a friend or relative–at a GREAT DEAL! Subscribe or renew your subscription to Paper Crafts at our special low rate and we’ll give a one-year gift subscription to a friend absolutely FREE! That’s two subscriptions for the price of one! This special holiday offer won’t last long…so click on over today! Offer valid in the U.S. only.

I’m going to try to make Fridays even better by posting each week about a piece of pop culture that makes me smile.  They’ll all go under the category “Reminisce.”

To start off, when I was trying to come up with a clever recycling-related title for an earlier post, the phrase “Trees are terriffic!” occurred to me.  It definitely made me smile (most things which can be described as “corny” or “cheesy” tend to do that).  The only problem was, I couldn’t remember where I had first heard it.  It took some sleuthing, but at last I found Carly the Cardinal, one-time spokesman for the National Arbor Day Foundation.

I bet you’re feeling all inspired to go replant the rain forest or something now, am I right?  No?  Darn.  Well, at least I tried.

If you’re bored, you can check out some more public service announcements from the Arbor Day Foundation here, but I think you’ll agree that Carly is in a class all his own!

A couple of things for you this time…

Sweettooth Scrapbooking is having a fabulous crop this weekend and The Scrapbooking Studio will be there for all your shopping needs. Space is still available if you are looking for something to do this weekend. It is being held at South Slope Community Center 980 North Front Street North Liberty, IA (about an hour drive from the Quad Cities). More information can be found at www.sweettoothscrapbooking.com

Now available online for purchase 2 new Reminisce lines

gearheart.

the phone is a gunning coma!  cannot win for waiting, am dining epileptic burst! a shiver for my mother! a shiver for the town! a shiver for the acid rain that wears this building down!
use d to                   speak of turmoil, there was more than parsley in my teeth – & i begged / for more than / to differ; that is how we me t.

jagged and size-mored, saw the last turkey on drive-home, baked & yawning.  you remember the tidal pull that led yr valley to mine, the inverse a mountain?
is how i once scaled that purple hyacinth.

– Lenny Scrawgins (the ultimate death) in person.

Ps. remember that?

Time and again I want to go back
Back to school with my back pack
Where there was always something new
Some friends some foes, but none were few

There were dreams
There were thoughts
None were small
None that can be bought

So, turning 23 wasn’t anything remarkable. Well, the actual event wasn’t but the people who cared about this particular happening in my life made it that much better. I was extremely pleased with all the birthday meals.

Thank you to mon amour who sang me Happy Birthday songs in something like 3 languages in bed, in the lift, waiting for the traffic light to turn green and just about anywhere else I requested to hear it. Gmarket thanks you for your kind donation. I still want a birthday cake and card I decree that you will be sticking around to celebrate every single one of my birthdays. Ok well, that was decreed (silently) since last year but now I am saying it for all the internets to know.

Thank you to Alisa and Hatta who were the 2nd group of treasured people I had the pleasure of celebrating with over Vietnamese and gossip. I really really liked your presents, practical yet beautiful.

Thank you to my classmates (sorry to lump everyone together) who facilitated and participated in the rather shocking surprise for me and Matt. Very sweet and well thought out haha. Thank you for the gifts, even though only 1 item out of what, 7 items was the actual gift. I hope to never leave the birthday club and that we continue this tradition even when all of us (is this possible??) are saddled with babies (ew.)

Last but not least, thank you to my people Sam and Ming for a 4 hour brunch, the super awesome book and much laughter. I hope to never stop celebrating birthdays with you two. Hopefully gift-giving will come a lot easier as we have more cents in our piggy banks.

Some images that chronicle my little rite of passage:

Great dinner at Oso with a much poorer mon amour.

The outdoor terrace

Appetizers : Parma ham with melon and beef carpaccio with caviar

I forgot to take pictures of our mains, spinach risotto and steak… *shamefaced

Dessert (mmmmm…) : Super good poached pear with honey and orgasmic warm chocolate crostata with milk gelato

Brunch at Basilico

We had the alfresco area to ourselves

Appetizers (Clockwise: caprese, parma ham, beef carpaccio, eggplant)

Third round of Parma ham and melon. I think I got salt poisoning from all the cured meats I eat. Next year, someone just buy me a leg of that ham already!

Once again, no mains, which weren’t very spectacular anyways.

Deserrrrt

Left plate: Fudge cake, custardy cake, fig tarts, apple strudel
Right plate: tiramisu, pistachio panna cotta, poached pears with zabaione sauce, liquid chocolate thing

Tonight, at Casa De Cath ‘n Cam, Cam is at her dad’s for the weekend and I stayed in.

why i stayed in is a conversation i don’t want to have.

but, instead, i you-tubed.

and i found some classic cringes. Anybody remember indecent obsession?

(my siblings just cringed)

why oh why oh why. why oh why oh why were they so cool back then? why?

but, then. then i found something i’d forgotten.

to correct an earlier blog post of mine, i was front row of this man’s concert once. my very first concert.

and, weirdly, it made me miss something. rather, someone. someone i didn’t even know then.

but that’s another story altogether. probably one i’ll keep for myself. just like them.

i got to laughing though. and i looked back.

if i had known me at 14. in a skinny green dress, wearing funny shoes.

i wonder what my 14-year old self would think of my 29-year old self.

that was more than half of my life away.

at 14, youtube didn’t exist. but i’m willing to bet i’d be having foot-stomping fights with my dad about bandwidth right now, if it had.

at 14, i thought i was in love with a boy called marc. whose second name bore a remarkable resemblance to my own.

at 14, my best friend jo-anne thought he was a ginormous fucktard.

she was completely right. he dumped me on new years eve. shortly after returning from said concert.

at 14, i had just started to think that i might like to write.

at 14, i hated my legs. i still do.

at 14, i was only just learning how to laugh.

at 14, i was still wearing that fucking aliceband

by the next year, i’d have dumped the stupid thing and i’d cringe a little less.

by the year after that, i’d have my hair hanging in my face constantly.

by the year after that, i’d probably like the me of today if i were to meet me.

(does that make any sense?)

and i’m left. left with a thought.

a thought that i hope my daughter grows up with these golden moments of life in her life too. that, one day, Cam will sit at her computer at a friday night and laugh with friends about her own aliceband fixation, and giggle at the inane lyrics of a band she used to be fanatical over.

i wish for Cam, the brightest life.

at 14, i didn’t know it. but i already had it.

I used to be a big Kite Flier in those good old days of innocence. Imagine wearing shorts that were far too short for a tall eight year old like me. Imagine crushing and grinding ‘tube-lights’ and ‘bulbs’ into fine powder and mixing them with colour and maida and concocting a ‘maanja’. Imagine applying them religiously on a large thread roll as if your life depended on it. Imagine tying this ‘maanja’ thread to a really noisy ‘Kite’ and letting the big bird soar through the skies. Imagine cutting another ‘Kite’ and jumping with joy and almost falling off the terrace. And even when you are not flying Kites, imagine chasing and running and chasing and running after other Kites that seemingly took light years to fall into your hands after getting cut five hundred feet above you. And all this when I was wearing shorts that were far too short for a tall eight year old like me.

This quite frankly went on till I was thirteen-fourteen I guess. After which there were numerous other interests. Including the two legged ‘Kites’ with pink ribbons tied to two black tails popping out from the back of their heads. Ah! Those were the days.

But a few months ago, when I took my four year old daughter to the Marina beach in Chennai, she wanted to fly a Kite. So I bought her a colourful one with a tail ten times longer than her pony tail. Oh, you must have seen the joy on her face. It was worth over a million words. But then, just as she was flying the Kite, I heard her scream, “Dadaaaaaaa… Kite goneeee….” I looked up from tying my shoe laces. She had let go the thread that I had carefully tied around her soft and baby fingers. I saw the tears swelling in her eyes and before they turned into a torrent, I leapt and chased and ran and chased and ran, just like the eight year old many many summers ago. In no time I had the Kite with me.